By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Get your dauber ready: Solvay Tigers bingo has returned.
While the pandemic forced the Tigers to shut down their popular bingo operation at the Solvay-Geddes Community Youth Center, the Solvay Tigers are partnering with the Syracuse Moose Lodge to host the games once again.
“Please join us as we get our feet wet again for an evening of fun we have missed and to rekindle the friendships we have been forced to put on hold during this nasty COVID,” reads the Solvay Tigers’ statement announcing the return of bingo. “While following all the new restrictions and guidelines set forth by the Governor and the NYS Bingo Commission, together we will safely and responsibly enjoy an evening together again.”
If you go
WHAT: Solvay Tigers Bingo
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturdays; doors/kitchen open 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Syracuse Moose Lodge, 1121 Milton Ave., Solvay
INFO: Eleven games including specials with $1,000 jackpot; $55; preregistration required; call 315-488-3666 between 9 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. Limited to 50 people. Social distancing and masks required. Temperature checks and a brief health questionnaire are required for entry. No outside food or drink allowed.
“We’re back — we’re looking forward to seeing our extended bingo family,” said Lou Ann St. Germain, a member of the center’s board of trustees. “We miss these people and we want to see them as much as they want to see us.”
Facing attendance restrictions and COVID-19 safety requirements from the state, the Solvay Tigers were unsure if they could bring back bingo. Fortunately, the Syracuse Moose Lodge had already created a bingo setup to the state’s specifications, and they have invited the Tigers to use the space for Saturday night bingo games.
“When we visited the moose lodge to see how they were doing things we saw our people and they were waving to me. They want to hug me,” St. Germain said.
St. Germain, who grew up in Solvay and now lives in North Syracuse, said her grandfather was one of the “founding fathers” of the center, which was founded in 1964. Her father, Fran Letizia, is now president of the Solvay Tigers.
“Basically, the Solvay Tigers support the youth center. We fund about 40 to 50% of their budget,” Letizia said. “We’ve not been able to conduct any bingo so therefore there hasn’t been any money coming into the coffers.”
The Solvay-Geddes CYC was in danger of closing because of the loss of revenue during the pandemic. Thanks to a successful GoFundMe campaign and other donations from the community earlier this year, the center was able to stay solvent. Limited athletic activities have resumed but children’s programming is still on hold.
“Little by little, we’re starting [to reopen],” St. Germain said.
The center features a pool, weight room, gymnasium, kitchen and conference center. Letizia said appointments and a brief health screening are required, and attendance is limited. Only 10 people are allowed in the pool at a time under the state’s current COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s been a hectic thing to do, but we seem to be doing it pretty well,” Letizia said.
St. Germain said the center is more than just an athletic club.
“We don’t just welcome Solvay, we welcome all the surrounding areas — Camillus, Geddes. It’s families, its places where people go to just gather and talk,” she said.
The Solvay-Geddes Community Youth Center is located at 1010 Woods Road in Solvay. For more information, visit solvayyouthcenter.com or call 315-488-3666. The center’s GoFundMe campaign is still active; visit gofundme.com/f/save-the-solvay-geddes-community-youth-center to donate.
